Nemesis
by Passive
Summary: Atemu's sure it's God's vengeance that he has to suffer like this; otherwise, why would Yugi show up in his life so suddenly and turn it upside down? AU, Y/Y
1. Chapter 1

Safe Haven

Disclaimer: This is all fiction, and I do not own anything.

**Chapter One:**

"Oh God! Yes! Deeper! Deeper!"

Atemu fisted his hands and shut his eyes as he took a deep breath. He felt his muscles painfully flex as he tried to stop himself from screaming out. He was on the edge. He just couldn't take it anymore.

"Yes! You're _so _good! Ah! Hit that spot again!"

That was it. He was done. Opening his eyes, Atemu took another deep breath before he started to bang on the door as loudly as he could. The young man satisfyingly smirked as the sounds of moans and pants ceased on the other side of the door.

"Joey, come out this instant!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Atemu gritted his teeth together as he heard Joey grunt deep in his throat. He really didn't want to know what Joey meant by _coming. _There were a few moments of silence, then the sounds of clothes rustling and finally the door slowly opened and Joey's blonde hair popped out.

"Hey man! Couldn't you wait for a few seconds? I'm kind of, you know, _busy."_

"I can tell." Atemu calmly replied as he glared at Joey's grinning face. He was _this _close to chewing his best friend's throat.

"I'm sure it can wait."

"No, it can't." Atemu crossed his arms and kept on glaring. No, there was no way he was going to let Joey get away with this again; not anymore. He had just reached his limit.

"Ok then, give me a minute. I'm not _decent._" Joey flashed his friend a brilliant smile before disappearing behind the wooden door. There was a minute of uncomfortable silence before Joey's head popped up again.

"You can join us if you want." The blonde quickly shut the door as Atemu launched to attack.

Trudging back to their sorry excuse of a living room, Atemu deeply sighed as he leaned tiredly against the wall. Why did he have to tolerate such suffering? He knew Joey wasn't doing this on purpose, but it didn't mean that it didn't have to hurt.

Atemu watched with narrowed eyes as the bedroom door opened with a loud moan and then that pretty blonde woman Atemu seemed to see painfully often walked out. What was her name again? Mary? Mai? It didn't really matter. Atemu was determined on not seeing her ever again; even if he had to tie Joey up and force it into Joey's pea-sized brain that he couldn't do _this _in _their _house. Heart pounding loudly in his chest, the young man watched as Joey leaned in, gave the pretty girl a sweet kiss on the lips and softly whispered something in her ear. The girl giggled, winked at Joey, and was out of the house in a heartbeat. Thank God.

Atemu watched as Joey walked toward him with a mock angry expression on his face. Were it any other time, Atemu would have laughed at that pathetic attempt of angry expression, but not today. There was only so much he could take. It was either Joey stopping _this _or Atemu moving out. Period.

"Man! You're such a party-pooper! You know I can't let my customers leave dissatisfied. Are you happy now? She didn't give me any money!"

"_You_ don't look dissatisfied." Atemu heatedly replied as he stared down at his feet. Joey's _customers _had always been a sensitive subject for him. The last thing he wanted was his friend noticing the jealousy in his eyes. Then he would be royally fucked.

"Why should I? She's such a pretty girl." Joey moved in closer and gave Atemu a seductive wink. "Don't tell this to anybody, but boy, is she dominant! She just-"

"I'm not interested in knowing about whatever you do in bed!" Atemu spat the words out and watched regrettably as Joey raised two perfect eyebrows. Damn it! Joey finding out about his dirty little secret wasn't what he had in mind. No, he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

"We need to talk." Atemu pointed toward the leather sofa, and watched as Joey rolled his eyes and hopped on it with ease. After living with the blonde man for two years, Atemu had come to know him quite well. He knew how much Joey hated serious talking. In fact, he hated anything serious. Joey wanted everything to be fun, and how much Atemu wished to be like him sometimes. He wished he could pretend that life was a big fucking joke as well, but he knew better than that.

"You need to stop doing this." Atemu calmly stated as he stood in front of Joey. The tall blonde only snorted in reply and reached for the pack of cigarettes on the coffee table.

"And by _this _you mean? Oh, I need to stop _having fun_? Yeah, you're pretty good at destroying all the fun I have." Joey bitterly replied as he lit a cigarette skillfully. He blew the offending white smoke out as he stared back at Atemu with raised eyebrows, awaiting, _daring _Atemu to answer back.

"Having fun? Whoring yourself out for money isn't having fun in my dictionary!"

"Well, it is in _mine. _So, you know…" Joey put the cigarette in the ashtray and took another cigarette out of the pack. He looked irritated, but Atemu wasn't going to feel guilty about it. It was nothing compared to the suffering Atemu was going through.

"And this is _our _house; meaning we share it together; meaning you can't do whatever you please!"

"Fine. I'll do it when you're not home. Will that be okay?"

"No, it won't!" Atemu was _this _close to spilling the truth out. 'I just don't want others to touch you. I just don't want you to fall in love with someone else.' Atemu wanted to scream out, but he kept his mouth shut. There was a few seconds of uncomfortable silence before Atemu cleared his throat.

"Either you stop this, or I'll move out." Atemu anxiously awaited a reply. Joey had better take this seriously.

"Move out?" Joey loudly snorted, "Where to, shall I ask? You wanna sleep in parks? 'Cause as far as I know, your pockets are as empty as mine are!"

"I'd rather sleep in parks than see you sleeping with fucking countless people!" Atemu kneeled on the floor and angrily banged his fists on the coffee table. He watched as Joey put the cigarette in the ashtray and refused to reply.

"Why are you doing this, Joey?" Atemu finally whispered in a broken voice. He already knew he was defeated again.

"You fucking know why!" Joey angrily replied as he stood up and kicked the coffee table with his foot. "I'm doing this so we can pay the fucking rent! I'm doing this so you can get your fucking wish!"

"You're doing this because you fucking love it!" Atemu gasped and closed his mouth in shock. He hadn't really meant to say that. He could feel the guilt painfully squeezing his heart. He watched Joey's brown eyes flicker with hurt and loudly swallowed.

"Fuck man. That was a cruel thing to say." Joey quietly answered as he sat down on the sofa.

"What you're doing to me is cruel, too!" No, Atemu wasn't going to back down. Enough was enough. He wasn't going tolerate this anymore.

"Well, your majesty, I'm not gonna stop so you might as well get used to it." Joey tetchily replied as he walked out of the living room. Atemu followed closely behind. Grabbing the blonde's arm, he forcefully turned the taller boy around.

"I'm not kidding, Joey. I'll move out for real. I'm not gonna watch you fall into pieces. I'm not gonna let you throw your life away just like that!"

"What the fuck are you talking about? I _don't _have any life. My dad's an alcoholic in jail. I haven't seen my mom since I was fucking five. Oh! And I'm a college drop out. The least I can do is make some money so _you_ can have a life. And might I add, I don't like the way you're thanking me!"

"You're neither my dad, nor my protector. I can stand on my own feet."

"Can you really?" Joey glared and Atemu glared back. The clock was ticking loudly in the background but nobody was ready to talk. With a defeated sigh, Atemu let go of the arm and angrily yanked the door open.

"You know what? I'm fucking done with this."

"Go to hell, Atemu!" Atemu loudly slammed the door shut as he ran down the steps. Yeah, the conversation ended the way it always did.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Yugi sighed happily as he stared at the empty pool with bright eyes. He couldn't believe that he was finally here. Ryou kept on insisting that it was pure luck that he had made it to the top ten swimmers, but Yugi wanted to believe that it was fate. It wasn't a gold medal fever or swimming itself that had made Yugi choose this typical sport. It was all about the object of his affection, his beautiful idol, who was standing at the other side of the pool, adjusting his black Speedo.

The moment the young boy had heard that Atemu Ramses was going to be the new swimming coach; swimming had become his number one priority. He really wasn't good at it, it was just his luck - or as he liked to call it, fate - that four good swimmers couldn't make it to the race, and now he was here, standing at the pool where Atemu always practiced, acting dually as the coach. If it wasn't destiny, then Yugi didn't know what it was.

Walking toward the young coach, Yugi nervously took a deep breath before feigning a cough. The coach, who was busy toying with his Swedish goggles, looked up with a distant look on his face.

"Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Yugi Motou. You, uh, you're supposed to be my coach." Yugi nervously stated as he scratched the back of his neck. He definitely hadn't left a good first impression.

"Hmm, Yugi Motou? Let me check the list." Yugi watched with bright eyes as Atemu looked at the list with narrowed eyes. Good god, how ensnaring those eyes were! Yugi mentally slapped himself as he tried to focus on the floor and not on that beautiful boy standing few inches away from him.

"Ah yes! You are qualified for the 100 m freestyle. You're quite early though." His coach gave him a small smile and Yugi loudly swallowed. Would it be wrong if he gave his coach a friendly hug?

"Well, you can warm up your body till the others arrive." Yugi nodded as he followed Atemu, trying not to think about his coach, but the swimming itself. He _had to_ impress Atemu today.

"How long have you been swimming?" Atemu asked as he started his warm up routine, gesturing for Yugi to do the same.

"Well, coach-"

"Call me Atemu, please" Yugi gave him a big grin as he happily nodded.

"Not long. My friend told me that there was a swimming race and I thought that maybe I should participate, seeing that I'm not good at any other sports because of you know, my height."

"And how old are you?"

Yugi scratched the back of his neck as he averted his eyes from Atemu's. He had secretly hoped he wouldn't ask this particular question.

"Seventeen, but I'm going to be eighteen soon!" By soon, Yugi meant nine more months to come.

"Seventeen is good. You have plenty of time to improve." Well, it wasn't the response Yugi had expected to hear. If Atemu said seventeen was good, then it was undoubtedly good.

"Ok then, let's get in the pool." Yugi quietly nodded as he jumped in. The water was cold and Yugi shivered. Adjusting his goggles, he looked at his coach and watched as the young man did the same and put on his swimming cap outside the water. It was just _coincidence _that Yugi's Speedo, goggles and cap were identical to Atemu's.

"Let's start from the basics. You know the flutter kick, correct?" Yugi quickly nodded his head.

"Good, I just want you to go the 25 meters. No arm movements, no turns, got it?" Yugi nodded again.

"Great, let's see what you got." The 25 meters took longer than he had expected and he found himself breathing hard as he surfaced. He just hoped he had done everything right. Looking at the edge of the pool, he looked at Atemu's eyes and gulped. They didn't look quite friendly.

"It was okay, but it can get better. I want you to swim four hundred meters, no arm movements, and no turns. Steve's going to correct your flaws." The coach motioned at the tall boy standing in front of him.

"Let's see the rest of the team, and teach them what happens when they're late for practice." He didn't look happy as he moved toward the group of teenagers doing warm ups at a corner. One thing Yugi had learned today was that there was no kidding with coach Ramses when it came to swimming.

"What are you waiting for, boy? Start!" Yugi looked at Steve who was standing at the edge with hands on his hips and sighed in a defeated manner. Damn him and his stupid crush!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Yugi hissed in pain as he sat down on one of the blue seats and watched as the five members of the adult swimming team, including Atemu, jumped in the pool. Man, was this Atemu strong! Yugi's muscles were screaming out from pain and Atemu was swimming as if he hadn't been teaching ten impossible boys two hours ago.

Running his hands through his wet hair, he watched as Atemu swam back and forth like a fish. He didn't seem quite focused today though. Yugi could judge from the fact that Seto would touch the wall sooner than him all the time.

Yugi had to go home. There were loads of homework he had to, but he didn't feel like leaving yet. What seemed like a stupid crush a few weeks ago had become something quite serious now. Yugi could even say it had become an obsession. He really couldn't help it. He had come to love a lot of people in his teenage years, but Atemu wasn't like them. He really _wanted_ Atemu; he couldn't help but think about him at nights, at school, forming plans, hoping, praying that a miracle would happen and Atemu would feel the same way.

Yugi snorted and mockingly shook his head. Too many gay movies had messed his mind up. There was _no _way in hell he could openly admit that he was gay. Hell. He really didn't know if he _was_ gay. Sure, he had imagined kissing some of his classmates and Atemu a few times, but that was it. Did it mean that he was gay? It wasn't like he had any experience, but he had butterflies in his stomach when he saw Atemu. What did _that_ mean?

"Why haven't you gone home, yet?" Yugi looked up to see Atemu standing in front of him while drops of water fell from his body. The boy blinked a few times before taking a look at his watch and gasping in shock. Had an hour passed already?

"Oh, I, I'm waiting for my dad." He didn't want to lie, but it just came out, and now he had no other choice but to stick to it.

"Why don't you call him? It's quite late."

"He might have forgotten. I'll just go home. It's no problem."

"No, wait right here, ok? I'm gonna take a shower. I'll be right back." Yugi watched with raised eyebrows as Atemu disappeared from sight. Could this mean that Atemu cared about him? He could already feel the butterflies rising again in his stomach.

"Oh man, where did he disappear again?" Yugi looked up to see the blonde man, Atemu's friend, standing at the doorway with hands on his hips. He saw the man often. He always was there when Atemu finished his practice. Could it mean that they were something more than friends? Yugi sincerely hoped not. The blonde man didn't look gay. Did gay people look gay? Ah, he was thinking rubbish again.

"Ok Yugi, let's-" Atemu stopped mid-sentence as he spotted his blonde friend. He was quiet for a few seconds before moving toward his friend and nodding his head. He didn't look happy to see him there.

"There you are! You're always the last person to get out of the pool. Not that I complain. At least I don't have to tolerate the ice cube."

"I don't know what you don't like about Seto." Atemu calmly stated as he picked up his black bag from the floor.

"What is there to like? Mr. kneel and kiss my toe! I hate that man! I bet he's not gonna make it to the Olympics!" Atemu slowly shook his head as he turned his head around and gestured at him to follow them. Yugi happily obliged. The blonde man looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"And this is?"

"This is Yugi Motou. He's my new student." Atemu introduced him as he patted him on the back.

"Hi, how are you doing?" Yugi politely extended his hand and winced in pain as the blonde man grabbed it and firmly shook it. His muscles still hurt from all the swimming.

"I'm Joey, and I'm sorry that you have Atemu as a coach."

"Shut up, Joey! I'm a very good coach." Atemu punched Joey's arm and gave him one of his infamous glares. Joey seemed unfazed by it. He must have gotten used to it by now.

"You bet you are. Look at the kid! He looks beat!" Yugi wasn't going to argue with that. He could lay down right there and fall asleep in a second.

"That's what swimming is about!" Atemu angrily replied as he took Yugi's hand and moved toward the almost empty street. Yugi could swear that his heart stopped beating for a second. Atemu's skin was the softest he had touched in his lifetime.

"It's not safe for you to go home alone. I'm gonna take a taxi for you. You go straight home and call me the second you get there, got it?" Yugi nodded and watched as Atemu took out a pen from his bag, wrote his number on Yugi's palm and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Take care," Yugi waited as Atemu took a taxi, paid the driver and asked Yugi to get in. Yugi quickly obliged and stared at those encompassing eyes with a small smile on his lips. How sweet could a man get?

"Bye Atemu, thank you!"

"Don't forget to call." Atemu waited until the taxi disappeared from sight and then made his way toward Joey. The blonde man was looking at him with raised eyebrows and a smirk on his lips.

"What a responsible coach!"

"Shut up, Joey. I'm not in the mood." The young coach replied exhaustedly as he walked down the familiar street. He knew what was awaiting them at home: another rich woman in Joey's bed.

"Look Atemu, I'm sorry, ok? But it's not like we have any other choice. We have to pay the rent somehow, and you know that I can't find a decent job."

"I know, Joey." Atemu really didn't want to start this conversation again.

"Hey, don't get like that!"

"Like what?" Atemu didn't bother to look at Joey.

"Don't go in the I-don't-care mood. I hate it." Atemu wanted to snap that it was all because he cared too much, but he kept his mouth shut. There were so many things he could never say to his best friend.

"Here's the deal, Atemu. I won't bring them home anymore. Happy now?" Atemu wanted to say no, but he was too tired to reply.

"Yeah."

"Don't worry though. You can give me a call whenever you feel like joining in. You know I'll never say no to you, bro." Atemu gave Joey a weak smile as he stared ahead. He felt like dying, just because he was in love with his ignorant best friend.

**To be continued…**

Passive: please leave a review on your way out.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own this anime.

Many thanks to my beta for correcting my horrendous mistakes!

**Nemesis**

**Chapter Two:**

"Oh God! That hurt!" Atemu winced in pain as Seto's fingers lightly touched his injured ankle. He just hoped it wasn't broken because if it was, then his life was going to be officially over. The big race was just a few weeks away.

"It doesn't look broken. I think it's just sprained." Joey thoughtfully replied as he leaned down to get a better look at the slightly swollen ankle.

"Shut up, mutt. No one asked for your stupid opinion." Seto snarled and pushed Joey away. He was in no mood for tolerating the stupid blonde and his absurd behavior.

Joey completely ignored the brunette. "What happened, Atemu? You're always so careful."

"I stumbled before jumping in and twisted my ankle. I swear I heard a crack. Damn it! I don't know what I'll do if it's broken." Atemu felt so frustrated, he could sit down and cry. How could he be so stupid? Standing up as carefully as he could, the young swimmer winced again as his right foot made contact with the cold floor.

"Can you walk?" Seto asked as he watched Atemu flinching with every small step he took.

"No, I can't. It can't bear my weight." Atemu gritted his teeth together as he tried to put some pressure on the swollen ankle. He wasn't unaccustomed to pain, but his ankle was a very sensitive part of his body, and the mere thought of it being broken was making him feel nauseas.

"Let me help you, man." The young swimmer didn't object when Joey asked him to lean on him. He could feel Seto's eyes on his back as he closely followed them. 'What a mess I've made!' He thought as the three men silently walked out of the pool.

"Get in, Atemu. A doctor needs to take a look at that." Seto Kaiba nonchalantly commented as he walked toward his black Benz. Opening the front door, he held it open for Atemu to get in.

"Thank you, ice cube. But there's no way in hell Atemu will get in _your_ car." Joey heatedly replied before grabbing Atemu's arm and making him walk away from the Benz as fast as his injured ankle could let him.

"Don't be stupid, mutt. You can't make Atemu walk to the hospital."

"I'm gonna take a taxi, you airhead! You-"

"Cut it out, Joey. How about you go home and cook something for dinner?" Joey opened his mouth to answer, but sharply closed it as Atemu gave him a glare. He stood motionless for a few seconds before huffing and turning away from his best friend, muttering colorful curses under his breath as he gave a deadly glare to Seto Kaiba. Seto gave him a mocking smirk in response.

"Get in, Atemu" The young man nodded, before sitting in the car with difficulty. Trying to mask the pain he was feeling, Atemu stared out of the window as Seto silently started the car.

"I have to go home first. There's something I have to do."

"It's alright." Atemu answered as he took a glance at Seto's serene face. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate what the tall man was doing for him. It was just that knowing Kaiba, Atemu was ready to swear that the man had a plan hidden under his sleeve.

The injured swimmer almost sighed in relief as he spotted Kaiba's mansion. The pain had gotten to an unbearable level and he wanted nothing more than to swallow a handful of painkillers and go to bed as soon as he could.

"Will you come in?" Seto asked as he got out of the car.

"No, I can't move an inch. I'd rather wait here." Seto quickly nodded his head and soon disappeared into the mansion. Atemu painfully sighed as he glanced at the big manor. Seto and Mokuba were lucky their parents gave all they had to them before passing away. And now, Seto and his younger brother were living their dream life while Atemu had to struggle to pay the bloody rent just because his father was stubborn enough not to accept the truth.

Atemu furiously shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Now wasn't the time to think about his family. He had a swollen ankle to think about. Nothing could be heard but silence for a few minutes before Atemu heard the unmistakable sound of high heels coming from the mansion. The swimmer looked up with interest. A woman in Kaiba's mansion? That was certainly remarkable.

"Bye-bye, Seto. I'll see you tomorrow." Atemu narrowed his eyes as he heard the familiar voice. Opening the car door, he took a deep breath before getting out. He let his mouth open and close in shock as he stared at the blonde woman in front of him.

"You!" was the only word that came out of his mouth. He watched with wide eyes as the pretty girl gasped in shock and covered her rosy lips with her hand.

"I know you!" The girl whispered as she took a step back, as if Atemu was going to attack her at any moment.

"Of course you know me! I see you at home almost everyday!" Atemu incredulously replied and the swollen ankle already forgotten, stepped ahead. He just wasn't ready to believe what he was seeing in front of him.

"You haven't gone yet, Mai?" Seto asked as he moved toward the car. "I would drop you off, but I have to take Atemu to the hospital." Seto paused before getting in the car.

"I forgot to introduce. Atemu, this is Mai, my fiancée'."

"Your fiancée? You never told me you have a fiancée!" Atemu asked in disbelief and watched as Seto indifferently raised his left hand and showed the ring in his finger.

"Well, you never asked." That was true, but Atemu would never have imagined his fiancée to be _her_.

"Don't you wanna go to the hospital, Ramses?" Seto impatiently asked as he gestured toward the car. The injured man slowly nodded his head as he moved toward the Benz.

"Please don't tell him anything!" He heard Mai whisper and turned his head to take a look at her. Like he could say anything even if he wanted to! He was quiet for a few seconds before nodding his head and then moving toward the car.

"Is something wrong, Atemu?" Seto calmly asked as Atemu got in the car. The young man only gave him a smile in reply and stared ahead. His biggest dream had come true. Joey couldn't have her anymore.

His ankle suddenly wasn't as painful as it had been a few minutes ago.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Well, it turned out the mutt's opinion was right after all." Seto Kaiba calmly stated as he waited for the lights to go green. Atemu nodded his head in reply as he glanced at his bandaged ankle. It still hurt, but at least he felt relieved knowing he had only sprained it. Still, a sprained ankle meant ten days of no practice, and a lot of pain to endure.

"Here we are, Ramses." Atemu looked up and glanced at their sorry excuse of an apartment. All it took was for a light earthquake to happen and Atemu was certain the apartment would fall apart.

"Thanks, Kaiba. I'll make it up to you." Atemu absentmindedly replied and opened the front door. He was about to step out when he felt Seto's hand on his left shoulder. Sighing, he turned around to look at the taller man's eyes. Of course, the Great Seto Kaiba didn't do anything without wanting something in return.

"You don't do anything for free, Kaiba, do you?" Atemu asked in frustration and the other swimmer smirked.

"No, Ramses. That's the reason why I live in a mansion and you live in a rat hole."

"Yeah, that's why you're an asshole and I'm not." Atemu spat back in reply and crossed his arms in a defensive manner. Sometimes, he thought that maybe Joey was right about this man. He could be an insufferable jerk when he wanted to.

"And where has niceness gotten you? Last time I checked your family had kicked you out." Atemu darkly glared at the taller swimmer and he gave Atemu a challenging look in reply.

"Fuck you, Kaiba. My personal life is none of your business." The younger swimmer vehemently replied as he got out of the car. He was _this_ close to punching Kaiba in the face. His family wasn't something he wanted to discuss with anybody, especially Seto Kaiba. The shorter man growled when Seto forcefully grabbed his arm.

"Do you remember my younger brother, Mokuba?"

"Yes," Atemu impatiently replied.

"He's a very good swimmer."

"So?" Atemu tried to free his arm, but Kaiba's grasp was stronger. Damn that bastard.

"He wants to be in the team," Seto paused for a few seconds. "_Your_ team."

Atemu stared at the brunette with raised eyebrows. "But he didn't participate in the race. There's nothing I can do."

"Oh yes, there is. You just have to add his name to the list. It's as easy as that." Kaiba coolly stated and started the car. It was as if the conversation was suddenly over.

"I won't do anybody any favors, Kaiba, and that's that." Atemu stared at the man with narrowed eyes.

"Cool down, champion. You're not doing him any favors. He doesn't need it. You add his name to the list and he'll do the rest. Now, if you please close the door," There was a few moments of uncomfortable silence before Atemu forcefully slammed the door shut. He watched with narrowed eyes as the car disappeared into the night and cursed under his breath. That bastard! Who the hell did he think he was?

Atemu glanced at the old apartment before searching for his keys in the pocket and taking them out. Opening the entrance door with difficulty, he glared at the door and gave it a colorful curse.

"God damn you! I fixed you yesterday!"

Going up the stairs took longer than usual. The young swimmer was panting and his was ankle throbbing as he finally reached the familiar wooden door. He tiredly opened the door and the door moaned in reply. He could already hear Joey's screams as he stepped in the living room. That child!

"Yeah, beat the hell out of him!" Joey was pushing the buttons of the joystick like there was no tomorrow. There was a shot from the character in the game, then another one from the blonde and the room finally fell into a peaceful silence.

"You were supposed to cook dinner!"

"Jesus fucking Christ! You scared the hell out of me!" Joey abruptly screamed as he turned around and gave Atemu an incredulous look while dramatically resting a hand on his heart.

"I made lots of noise while coming in, but you were busy…playing." Atemu grimaced as he glanced at the Play station. He had never been a big fan of digital games.

"So, how's your leg?" Joey pointed to the bandaged ankle as he sat next to Atemu and patted his friend's head. The young swimmer swatted the hand away and gave the taller boy a half hearted glare. He always hated it when Joey did that.

"It's not broken. I've just sprained it. Still, the doctor insisted I shouldn't practice for at least two weeks and that's fucking great. The last thing I need is to get out of shape."

"No worries, Ramses. I'll make sure you stay in shape." Joey gave Atemu a suggestive wink and dodged as the swimmer threw the cushion at him.

"Where's dinner?"

"I ordered pizza."

"You were supposed to _cook_."

"Come on, man! You know I can't cook to safe my life. Besides, I ordered pepperoni; your favorite. And here it comes!" The blonde boy shouted as the sound of the doorbell echoed through the whole house. Atemu watched as Joey ran toward the door and ran a hand through his unruly hair. He tried to collect his thoughts as he watched Joey reappear with two boxes of pizza and two bottles of beer in his hands.

"Beer?" Atemu looked at Joey with raised eyebrows.

"Yup! Thought we both needed it. Let's eat before it gets cold."

Atemu made his way toward the small kitchen and winced every time he took a step. Sitting at the small brown table, Atemu caught the box Joey threw at him before it hit his face and gave his friend another glare.

"Have some manners, Wheeler!"

"Shuddub'n ityer dinna."

"Joey! That's disgusting! Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Shut up and eat your dinner" Joey gave Atemu a big grin before stuffing another slice in his mouth, but Atemu only stared at the pizza in front of him. How could he tell the news to Joey? Was it even a wise idea? Atemu tried to consider his options.

He could tell Joey the truth, break his heart and ruin the moment, or he could stay silent and wait until Joey found the truth out himself. That way, Atemu would become Joey's shoulder to cry on and then maybe just maybe…

Mentally nodding to himself, Atemu took a slice of pizza and gave Joey a small smile. Yes, he was going to be patient about this. After all, as his father always used to say, the best things come to those who wait.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Yugi glanced at the entrance door for the tenth time, but nobody came in. Running his fingers through his hair, the boy made sure his hair was still in style as he gave the door another sideway glance.

'Why isn't he coming?' He knew people were beginning to get suspicious of him. He knew it wasn't normal to sit in a chair in a coffee shop for two and half hours and do nothing but stare at the door, but he refused to leave the place until he met Atemu. He _knew_ Atemu was going to come here. According to Joey, the young coach came here every Friday. Then why wasn't he here yet?

'What if Joey has lied to me? It means that I've wasted my money buying him an ice-cream _and_ my time getting ready and waiting here like an idiot!' Yugi was about to stand up when the door finally opened and the familiar figure walked in. He watched as his coach walked toward an empty table in a corner and tried to think fast. He quickly stood up.

"Hey, Atemu!"

Yugi watched as Atemu suddenly turned around and gave him a surprised look. Yugi tried to look surprised too.

"Hey, Yugi! What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, I was tired from all the studying, and, uh, I thought I deserved a break. Do you want to sit with me?"

"Sure. Do you come here often?" Atemu casually asked as he carefully sat in front of his student and gave him a small smile.

"Oh, yes. This is my favorite coffee shop, actually. I love how…homey it feels." It was the first time Yugi had been there. It took him half an hour to get there from home.

"Really? I come here every Friday. How come I've never seen you?" Atemu asked without taking his eyes away from the red roses on their table. He was surprised their table was the only table that had a vase full of roses on it in the whole coffee shop, but decided not to give it a thought.

"Well, I don't usually come here on Fridays." Yugi hated how hot he always felt whenever he lied. He just hoped his face wasn't betraying him. Thankfully, Atemu didn't seem to notice. He watched as Atemu waved at the waitress and mentally braced himself.

"What can I get for you today, Atemu?" The girl turned around and gave Yugi a glare. "And you! Finally!"

Atemu raised his eyebrows and Yugi gave him a sheepish smile in response. "I was hesitant on what to order."

"A cup of coffee would be great, Mary."

"I want the same thing." Yugi added and gave another sheepish smile to the girl.

"So, how's the swimming going?" Atemu turned to look at Yugi, a look of genuine interest on his face.

"It's good, I suppose. Steve made sure we all went home sore." Atemu only smirked in reply.

"No! I mean we were all sore from swimming."

"It's ok, Yugi. I know what you mean."

"How's your ankle? Steve told us you've sprained it." A frown appeared on Atemu's face, but it disappeared as soon as it had emerged.

"It's nothing serious." Atemu curtly replied, and Yugi nodded his head. He knew when not to push the matter.

"There you are!" Yugi heard somebody scream and turned around only to come face to face with Ryou. He gave the white-haired boy an incredulous look as he dragged a chair from another table and put it next to Yugi's. What the hell was he doing here?

"Oh, you must be the infamous Atemu! Do you mind if I sit here?" He didn't wait for an answer as he sat on the wooden chair and rested his elbows on the table.

"Infamous?" Atemu asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, Yugi talks a lot about you. He really likes you, you know." Ryou casually waved his hand in the air, like revealing Yugi's secret was of no importance. Yugi loudly gulped as he took a glance at Atemu, but his coach didn't seem to mind.

"That's really kind of Yugi." Atemu kindly replied as he wrapped his fingers around the white cup. He didn't seem bothered by the revelation at all.

"How the hell did you find me here?" Why did Ryou always show up at the worst possible times?

"Oh, I found out from a secret source" Ryou grinned as he took Yugi's cup and sipped from it.

"Hmm, delicious!"

"Yugi, you haven't introduced your friend to me, yet." Atemu calmly stated as he took a sip from his own cup of coffee. Mercifully, he didn't seem offended by Ryou's ungracious presence on their table.

"This is Ryou, and I would really like him to _leave_!" Yugi angrily crushed Ryou's foot and watched in satisfaction as the white-haired boy grimaced in pain.

"Aw! I need my foot, you know! You _do_ realize that taekwando players use their feet a lot, right?" Atemu gave the boy a surprised look.

"You play taekwando?"

"Yup! And no offence, I think it's much more interesting than swimming." Atemu didn't look offended.

"Do you know who's gonna be in the team for the 87 kilograms?"

"It's not clear, yet. There's gonna be a match tomorrow between Marik and Mahado. The winner gets to go to the Olympics." Ryou explained.

"Do you know when the match starts?"

"At six in the afternoon I guess. Why do you ask? Do you know them?"

"Yes." Atemu's tone left no room for more talking.

"_Thank you_, Ryou! For interrupting our date! Can you leave now?" Yugi angrily asked as he crushed his friend's foot for the second time.

"It's ok, Yugi. I have to leave anyway. It was nice to see you again, and it was nice meeting you, Ryou." He formally shook hands with the younger boy and took out his wallet, putting the green dollars on the table for the two cups of coffee.

"No, Atemu. _I_'ll pay!" Atemu only winked in reply.

"Why do _you_ have to pay?" Yugi sadly asked and his coach gave him a small smile in response.

"Because I'm older. Bye guys." Yugi watched as his coach waved goodbye and soon was out of the coffee shop. He glared at his friend who seemed oblivious to what he had done and gritted his teeth together.

"There! Are you happy now? He left." Yugi sulkily pouted as he rested his forehead on the table.

"It's not like he left because of me. Besides, why are you beating around the bush so much? Tell him you like him and get it over and done with."

"I _can't_. I'm not even sure if he's gay." Yugi helplessly replied and scratched the back of his head. His crush was beginning to take a toll on his life.

"But I am. He used to have a boyfriend. He's not very fond of public display of affection it seems, but I _did_ see him kissing his boyfriend once."

"And are you completely sure they've broken up?"

"For the millionth time, _yes_. Now, please tell him you like him so I can stop playing your private detective."

"It's not like you're not benefiting from it. I've been doing your homework for a month now!" Ryou only shrugged his shoulders and finished drinking Yugi's cup of coffee.

"Well, even if that's true, I don't know if _I_'m gay." Yugi felt so helpless, he was ready to bang his head against a wall. Why did liking somebody have to be so difficult?

"Yugi, please! How many straight people do you know that wear pink T-shirts-" Ryou pointed to Yugi's T-shirt, "Watch dramatic soap operas and put roses on the table to impress their crushes?" Ryou finished his question while patting the roses on the table. Yugi only stared blankly at his friend. "Look, we all know you're gay. You're slightly…_different._"

"Really? Do you think Atemu noticed it, too?"

"I don't know, but I've heard that some gay people have this _gaydar. _How do you know? Maybe he's one of them. Besides-" Ryou accusingly pointed to the T-shirt again. "One look at that pink thing is enough."

"Hey! I like my T-shirt!" Yugi pouted as he ran his fingers on his T-shirt. He couldn't understand people sometimes. How could the color pink determine if someone was manly and someone was not?

"I guess I know why you like him now. Do you wanna hear my theory?"

"No!"

"But I'm gonna tell you anyway." Ryou calmly stated and scratched his chin in a thoughtful manner. It's all about opposite attraction." Yugi only raised his eyebrows.

"He's more…masculine. He's more serious, and he's one of those gentleman types. You, on the other hand, are the exact opposite. You're more girly-"

"I'm not girly!" Yugi almost screamed the words, but looked down as people gave him odd looks.

"And you like it when people take care of you. It doesn't make you any less of a man, Yugi. It's just how you are. Besides, I think he's the type who likes to spoil his boyfriends. Did you notice how he didn't let you pay? I promise you'll make a perfect couple. Match made in gay heaven!"

"Do you really think so?" Yugi prayed his voice didn't sound as hopeful as he felt.

"Yeah, I do. Now let's go do some studying. I'm not sure our parents will like it if we fail another math exam."

Yugi was too happy to care about that.

**To Be Continued…**

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Does anyone want to be my beta? I have lost touch with my previous beta and I'm in dire need for somebody to correct my spelling and grammatical mistakes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Nemesis**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own YU-GI-Oh.

**A/N: **Thank you very much for your encouraging reviews. I truly appreciate them.

**Chapter Three:**

Atemu impatiently tapped his fingers on the wooden bar as he waited for Joey to show up. It was very typical of his blonde friend to be late whenever he was in a hurry.

"Atemu, what are you doing here?" the professional swimmer gave the brunette waitress, Tea, a small smile as she stood next to him. She looked frustrated and a little out of breath.

"I'm waiting for Joey. Do you know where he is? What is all this noise about anyway?" Atemu asked as he watched the girl put the empty tray on the bar and run a hand through her shoulder length hair. She looked ready to cry.

"Good thing you came by. Joey's in a fight…again."

"What? Why?" Atemu gave the waitress an incredulous look.

"I don't know, Atemu! Why does he have to be such a trouble maker? I swear he'll lose his job this time." Tea put her hands on her hips and gave Atemu a deadly glare; as if it was his fault that Joey managed to get into fights wherever he went.

"Ok. Tell me where he is." Tea impatiently pointed to the middle of the crowd where people were cheering and screaming and loudly huffed. She sometimes reminded Atemu of a mother who had seven kids.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, Atemu. You're my savior."

Passing through the crowd was very difficult, and Atemu was panting and sweating as he finally spotted Joey in the centre. It was a very ugly sight; his friend and another blonde man throwing punches in the air, some of them missing and others landing on each other's faces. It wasn't helping at all that people seemed to enjoy the fight.

"What the hell are you doing, Joey?" Atemu half whispered, half shouted as he grabbed his friend's shoulders and pulled the blonde back. Joey was still punching the air.

"Let me go! Let me kill that fucker. I bet he fucks his dad every night. That faggot!" Joey's careless words seemed to anger the other man even more. He narrowed his eyes as he launched to attach, but another man grabbed him from behind, signaling to Atemu to take Joey out of the bar as fast as possible. Atemu nodded his head as he dragged the still very angry Joey away from the crowd.

Joey was still cursing as Atemu opened the door and pushed Joey out.

"What was that all about?" Atemu angrily whispered as he grabbed Joey's wrist in order to stop him from going in again.

"That fucking faggot! He hit on me! I was _this_ close to sticking the bottle of beer in his ass! Since he likes to be fucked so badly." Atemu stared at him with wide eyes.

"I can't believe you, Joey! You were punching him because he hit on you? You could have told him you were straight. End of story."

"I can't believe you're saying this. He was a _faggot._" Joey vehemently replied.

"I can't believe you're being so homophobic! And stop using that word!" Atemu angrily spat back. This wasn't a conversation he liked to have with his best friend.

"They all deserve to burn in hell. They're just way too gross." Joey heatedly muttered as he turned around and walked away from the bar. Atemu stood motionless for a few seconds before shaking his head and following Joey, trying to ignore the tightness he was feeling in his chest.

"Why did you come here any way?" Joey took out a cigar from his pocket and put it between his lips before quickly lighting it with his cheap lighter.

"I came here to give you the keys, but you were…busy."

"Where are you going?"

Atemu paused for a few seconds before replying. "There's a match between Mahado and Marik. I…I want to watch it." Joey shook his head in a disappointing manner.

"Have you forgotten what Marik did last time you went?"

"I'm allowed to miss my brother, ok?" Atemu defensively responded while angrily stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, the brother who didn't support you when your dear daddy kicked you out. Has he ever called you after that? No."

"Why are you being so bitter today?" Atemu finally screamed, losing control. He didn't want to stand in front of Joey, listening to him talk while he made him feel worthless and loveless at the same time.

Joey sighed and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Sorry man, it has nothing to do with you. It's just that Mai hasn't been answering my calls lately." Atemu decided not to comment on that.

"I…I'm gonna be late. Here are the keys." The young swimmer extended his hand to give Joey the keys, but Joey shook his head.

"I'm not gonna be home tonight. I've got work to do." Joey tried to meet him in the eyes, but Atemu averted his eyes from Joey's, afraid that he might notice the look of hurt in them.

"Ok then. I'll…I'll see you tomorrow." Atemu didn't wait for a reply as he quickly walked away. He didn't want to think about what Joey was going to do tonight. He didn't want to think about what he had said a few minutes ago either. He just wanted to walk away. Funny, he seemed to walk away from everything lately. Only he didn't realize that it would never get him anywhere.

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Atemu held his breath as he waited for the referee to choose the winner. People seemed to be doing the same thing; because the stadium had suddenly become deadly quiet. There were few seconds of torturous silence and the referee's right hand finally went up. Mahado was the winner.

The opponents didn't shake hands. They just slightly bowed and soon were out of sight. Atemu motionlessly sat on his chair and listened as some people cursed the referee and the others applauded him. The youngest son in the Ramses family didn't know which side to take. Surely he was upset that his eldest brother had just lost the opportunity to go to the Olympics, but he couldn't help but feel a little satisfied, too. A voice inside his head was whispering that Marik deserved the lost.

The stadium was almost empty when Atemu finally decided to leave. He stood up and looked down, spotting Mahado who was changing his clothes in a corner. The swimmer paused for a few seconds before making his mind to move down. His brain was screaming at him that this was a bad idea. After months of agony he had finally learnt to move on, and he was about to destroy all those efforts he had made, but his heart had gone crazy. He no longer cared. He needed a closure.

Mahado was busy taking off his sweaty T-shirt as Atemu walked toward him. The voice inside his head gave a final warning, but Atemu decided to ignore that. He stood a few feet away from his Ex-boyfriend and deliberately cleared his throat. He surpassed his smile as the brunette turned around and gave him a shocked look.

"Atemu! What are doing here?" Funny, everybody seemed to be asking that question from him today.

"Hey, yourself."

"I've been so worried about you. God knows how many times I called you after that…incident, but you never picked up. I thought you wanted to…move on."

"Yeah, I really couldn't talk with you." Atemu uncomfortably replied as he bit his lower lip. He had forgotten how nervous he felt whenever he talked with the tall brunette.

"But I'm really glad you came by. You watched the match, I assume?" Mahado was grinning as he asked the question.

"Of course I did, and I'm super happy you kicked his ass." Atemu grinned back and didn't object when Mahado gave him a warm embrace. He let his hands linger for a few seconds on the Brunette's naked back before pulling away.

"Yeah, He had come to kill me though. He looked like an assassin." Mahado stated Atemu gave him a sad smile in reply.

"I feel so guilty. You guys used to be best friends, and now you're enemies because of me."

"Don't be stupid, Atemu. A man who can't accept his brother because he's gay isn't worthy of my time. What your family did to you is unforgivable." Atemu sadly looked down. Mahado's words were ripping his old cuts open.

There was a few awkward seconds of silence before Mahado friendly patted Atemu's back. Atemu gave him a watery smile in response.

"I miss you sometimes." Mahado's voice turned deep as it always did when he talked about personal matters.

"Me too… sometimes." Atemu replied as he stared at the brown eyes. He felt his heart flipping with excitement and fear, but decided to ignore it. God, what was he getting himself into?

"Maybe you should give my apartment a visit…sometimes." There was a glint in those eyes that Atemu couldn't help but notice.

"Yeah, maybe I should." Atemu smirked and gave his former boyfriend a suggestive wink. Boy, how much he had missed to be this playful!

Mahado put on a clean T-shirt and picked up his black pack. He looked as fit as he always did and Atemu was beginning to remember memories he wasn't ready to handle yet. He mentally shook his head.

Mahado raised an eyebrow in a suggestive manner. "So, are you coming with me?"

"I'd love to…but I wanna say hi to Marik first." The swimmer uncertainly replied and watched as Mahado slowly nodded his head.

"Good luck then. Hopefully, I'll see you around more often."

"Don't worry. You will." Atemu answered back and waved as Mahado turned around and left. He took a deep breath as he glanced at the other side of the stadium. He could see his brother sitting in a corner, probably upset at his lost. He could feel the butterflies rising in his stomach.

'I can do this.' Atemu uncertainly assured himself as he took a deep breath and walked toward his brother. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing as he stood in front of the eldest son of the Ramses family. Thankfully, Marik hadn't noticed him yet.

"Hey, Marik." Atemu slowly muttered and bit his lower as he waited for a reply. 'God, please don't let him ignore me.' He silently prayed as he bit the inside of his cheeks.

Marik looked up and raised his eyebrows, but he didn't say anything.

"I'm…I'm sorry for the lost. Next time maybe." Atemu tried to give his brother a reassuring smile, but miserably failed.

Marik didn't say anything. There was an awkward silence between them before Marik finally stood up. He picked his bag up from the floor and put his blue towel around his neck. He opened his mouth, but then closed it again and shook his head. He didn't give Atemu a second glance as he passed, and he was gone just like that.

Atemu felt his heartbeat stop as he stared ahead of him for a long, long time.

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Atemu sighed in relief as the door of his locker finally opened. Taking his white towel out of the small locker, Atemu murmured curses under his breath as he angrily dried his hair. Today had certainly been the worst day of his life. First hearing Joey saying those offending words, then his brother ignoring him like he was a piece of trash, his ankle throbbing through the whole practice, Seto giving him that you-owe-me look all the time and finally banging on the locker door for thirty five minutes to get it open. Could things get any worse?

Atemu loudly groaned as he heard someone clear his throat behind him. Great! The last thing he needed at the moment was a company.

"What do you want?" He angrily shouted as he turned around to give the person a deadly glare, but quickly changed his mind as he saw the look of shock on Yugi's face.

"Yugi?"

"I'm…I'm sorry. This is clearly not a good time to talk. I'll see you later." The poor boy hastily turned around to leave, but Atemu grabbed his arm to stop him from doing so. He was already feeling guilty for shouting. God, what was wrong with him today?

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted." The young coach miserably muttered as he sat on the white bench and stared at his naked knees. He could feel Yugi's eyes on him, but didn't look up.

"What are you doing here? You don't have classes on Mondays."

"I…I came here to see you." The younger boy nervously muttered as Atemu gave him a surprised look.

"Oh. Is there something wrong?" Atemu casually asked as he stood up and took his jeans out of the locker. He quickly put them on.

"No. I just…can I ask you a personal question?" Atemu hesitantly nodded and put on his black sneakers.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Atemu was silent for a few seconds. He bit his lower lip as he stared at Yugi's eyes. "How did you find out I'm gay?"

"I…it doesn't matter." Yugi weakly replied and apprehensively shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"No, I don't have any boyfriends." The coach calmly replied and turned his back on his student. His sexual orientation wasn't something he liked to discuss with his students, or anybody for that matter.

"Can we…can we go out?" Yugi quickly asked and waited for a reply. If it were any other time, he would have laughed at the look of sheer shock on Atemu's face, but he was too anxious to do that at the moment.

"Excuse me?"

"Look, you're gay. I'm gay, and I like you." Yugi stated and boldly moved forward. Atemu _had to_ say yes. Yugi wasn't going to accept it any other way.

"You're gay?"

"Yes." Yugi honestly hoped so.

"Yugi, this is crazy, and you just chose the worst time to ask such a question." Atemu shook his head and put his green shirt on. He just didn't know what to think anymore.

"No, it's not crazy. I like you and I want to go out with you. It makes perfect sense, but if you don't like me…" Yugi pouted.

"No, Yugi. It's not that I don't like you. You're a great kid, but that's were the problem is. You're still a _kid_!"

"That's not true. I'll be eighteen soon and-"

"And it will be very, very unprofessional of me to go out with my own student and put your position and mine in jeopardy." Atemu paused before continuing. "And I don't want to date someone who'll soon find out that he's straight."

"What? It's not like that! I like you the way gay people like each other. I mean I like your body, too!" Yugi was too excited to think about what he was saying. Atemu smiled despite himself.

"Look, Yugi. You have a crush on me and that's fine. God knows that I. myself have had crushes on countless people, but it's just a _crush. _I once thought I was in love with my history teacher. I even slept with her. That was when I found out I was gay."

"Then you have to give me a chance! Going out on a date won't hurt anybody. Please, Atemu! Please!" Yugi took a deep breath as he waited for his crush to reply.

"Yugi, this isn't a good idea." Atemu finally replied and picked his bag up from the wet floor. Yugi knew that tone. It meant the conversation was over, but Yugi wasn't going to accept that for an answer.

"You can't decide on my sexuality! Let's go out just once. _Please._" Yugi desperately took Atemu's hand in his smaller ones. Atemu sighed as he glanced at Yugi's face, Rejection was written all over it. Maybe if he gave it a shot…

"Here's the deal. Let's go home now. Give me some time to think this through. I'll call you tomorrow and give you my answer, Ok?" this wasn't the answer Yugi had been waiting for, but it was better that a plain no. He weakly nodded his head.

"It's settled then. Let's get you home now." Yugi slowly trudged behind the taller man, all the while praying Atemu would say yes tomorrow.

**To Be Continued…**

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